Run
by Starzinmieyez
Summary: NEW TITLE! SAME STORY! Thanks to readsmanyfavsfew for the title. This is a prequel to "Motives".
1. I'm not a baby!

**I'm gonna be king!**

"Alright Zazu, show me the way," Simba, the king of the Pridelands, motioned for his major-domo to show him the direction of the problem he had just reported.

Kopa, the king's six month old son, came running up to his father, "Daaaad, can _I _come?" Simba chuckled as his son got distracted by a red beetle that was scurrying along the ground. He cleared his throat causing the cub to look up at him, hope shining in his eyes, "Yeah, Dad?"

Simba smiled, "It's rude to get distracted after asking a question, son." His expression and tone of voice became stern, "Now, I'd like you to go back to Pride rock. I don't want you to follow me, and I don't want you to argue."

Kopa looked at the ground in disappointment, "Oh… But why? What's wrong?"

Simba sighed and shook his head, "Go home, Kopa. I'll explain later." Kopa nodded and began to skulk towards the pride's den before running back and attempting to hide in the grass. Simba knew what his son was doing without even turning around, "Kopa! Go back to Pride rock! No arguing!"

The little cub coward at his father's change in volume, before stammering, "B-but-"

Simba sighed and scooped his son up in his fore paws and spoke more gently, "You'll get to come with me when you're older and training to be king."

Kopa growled and pushed the paws away, "If I'm gonna be king, I need to know what I'm doing!" He hung his head low and whined, "I'm bored, and Dad I'm not a baby any more. If you let me come with you I won't be any trouble, Dad. I promise."

Simba looked towards the ground for a brief moment to conceal the sadness that entered his eyes as he remembered how he was himself when he was Kopa's age; wanting to go on dangerous adventures and just generally be brave. He had wanted to prove himself to Mufasa, prove he could look after himself. Some proof of bravery _that _had proven to be. Simba forced his painful memories to the back of his head, and smiled apologetically at his son. He met Kopa's eyes and quietly instructed, "Not this time. Now please go home, Kopa."

The young prince glared at the king, "You never let me go anywhere with you, Dad. It's like you don't like me enough to take me places with you." He scuffed the ground with his paws as he started back towards Pride rock, his tail hanging between his legs and his ears flat with sadness.

Simba exhaled slowly, _I'm sorry, son, but this time it really _is _far too dangerous._ He then sprinted off in the direction Zazu had flown. He was worried; he'd never dealt with hunters before.

~TLK~

Kopa arrived back at the den and ran up to his mother, in hope that she was awake. Seeing she was, he snuggled up to her, being careful of her stomach, inside which was his unborn sibling- or siblings- they didn't know yet. Nala smiled at her son, but then frowned when she realized he was crying, "Kopa! What's wrong, baby?"

Kopa sniffed, "Mommy, Dad won't let me go with him and Zazu!"

Worry etched itself onto the queen's face and she enquired, "Go where, Kopa?" She began wracking her memory for recent issues Simba may have been attending to. _Well, _she thought, _there's the issue of the rains being late, but _that _won't be it…There's the conflict between the elephants and the rhinos, but he sorted that out yesterday…_ She suddenly gasped, and Kopa jumped up, startled, "Mom? Is the cub coming?"

Nala chuckled and gently pulled her son back down by her side, "No, sweet heart, the cub isn't coming, I just remembered something." _Please don't ask anything else,_ she silently pleaded.

Her hopes were short-lived as Kopa continued to ask questions, "What did you remember?"

"It doesn't matter, dear."

"Do you know where Dad went?"

"No, darling."

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kopa."

"Then why did you gasp?"

Nala was growing frustrated at this point, and she quickly made an answer up in her head, "Because I just realized that I haven't sent out a hunting party yet."

Kopa wasn't convinced, "It's mid-afternoon. You _never _send out a hunting party in mid-afternoon."

Nala shook her head, "That's not right, Kopa. Of course I do."

Kopa mimicked her head-shaking motion, "Nu-uh! I _know _you don't because _I'm _always hungry at this time of day, and _you _always tell me to go see if there is any meat left over from the morning."

Nala knew she'd been caught, but continued with her attempt to keep Kopa off the trail, "It's not worth arguing over, Kopa. Why don't you go and play?"

Kopa groaned and buried his head in his paws, "Nooooo. That's boring! I wanna go find Dad!"

Nala knew that her usual calm, gentle approach to her stubborn son wasn't going to make the cut this time round, "Kopa! Listen to me! You are NOT to go after your father! He is tending to ADULT BUSINESS that you _don't _need to know about!"

Suddenly a gunshot sounded out and Nala gasped, "Simba!"

Kopa's eyes widened and he started to cry again, "So there _is _trouble! Why didn't you tell me?"

Nala hugged her son close and whispered comforting words to him. She noticed that she wasn't just attempting to comfort her son, but also herself.

~TLK~

Simba dodged the shot just in time. The last time the hunters invaded the Pridelands, they did not use the loud black machines he didn't know of, but rather arrows to hunt down the various types of animals that inhabited the African savannah. He had known from what Zazu had told him that morning that the hunters were even more dangerous with the new machines, but he hadn't bet on being chased by small, black stone-like items that cut through the air like the teeth of a lion. He had no clue as to how he was going to defend his pride from those creatures, at least not whilst they were awake and using the stone-sticks.

The king of the Pridelands ducked behind a nearby bush and started thinking of a plan. Another black stone whizzed past him, just catching his shoulder and causing him to grit his teeth in order to prevent himself from crying out. So now he knew how dangerous the stones were, and he figured that he couldn't lead the hunters back to Pride rock; some of the pride- primarily the elderly and the pregnant- wouldn't stand a chance. Simba braced himself to leave the sanctuary of the bush, when he suddenly heard a startled yelp, the mumbling of voices he could not understand, and the panicked whispers of, "Dad? Daddy? They've caught me, Dad, how do I get away? Are you there, Dad? Help!"

Simba gasped, _Kopa_.


	2. Kopa and trouble

**A/N: Thank you to my reviewers so far. You've really encouraged me to keep writing :) I also thank TabbyBri for helping come up with this chapter, and I thank The Rogue Lion for inspiring me to try to come up with a more original idea :D Enjoy this next chapter, and please review!**

Kopa was just thinking of ways to leave the den without his mother noticing when the perfect opportunity came up; his grandmother Sarafina, Nala's mother, approached Nala and the two lionesses quickly became engaged in conversation. Kopa carefully unwrapped himself from his mother's fore-legs, and slowly started towards the cave opening. "Kopa, sweetheart, where are you going?" Nala asked her son, catching his movements out of the corner of her watchful eye.

Kopa smiled sheepishly, "Uh, I'm hungry. This morning's leftovers are outside, aren't they?"

Nala shook her head, "No. They're inside one of the smaller caves at the base of Pride rock. The one _without _the snakes, that is. I do _not _want to have to come and rescue you from _that _cave again."

Kopa smirked, "Aw, but that was fun!"

Sarafina laughed at this comment, "No, dear, I hear that you were terrified that day. I also heard that you refused to go anywhere near the small caves for the following week."

Kopa hid his face in embarrassment, "That's not true!" The two lionesses raised their eyebrows at him and he suddenly began to feel uncomfortable, "Urm, I'm gonna go find the leftovers. Bye." He ran out of the den, relieved to have gotten away. Now he just had to find his Dad.

Kopa descended Pride rock and passed the cave in which the leftovers were situated. His stomach grumbled- he _was _hungry, but he knew that if he didn't get away from the rest of the pride soon, he would be caught and grounded. He _hated _being grounded. Ignoring his noisy stomach, Kopa took off at a run in the direction of the loud bang he and his mother had heard earlier.

~TLK~

Simba was beyond himself with panic. He knew that his son wouldn't stand a chance against the strange animals with the stone-sticks; his own throbbing shoulder was a constant reminder of that. He would have to get it checked out by Rafiki when all of this was over. "Help me," the voice pleaded again.

Simba took a deep breath and left the safety of the bush.

"BANG!"

Simba cursed inwardly as another gunshot narrowly missed him. He was going to get killed before he managed to save his son at this rate, he thought bitterly. Only as he looked around, he couldn't see Kopa anywhere- or anything even vaguely resembling a lion cub for that matter. He heard the pleading cries again; "_Help," _and made straight for it. Just as Kopa came running towards him.

Simba roared in surprise as his son bounded into him, alerting the hunters who cocked their guns and began chasing after the king and prince. It was only then that Simba realised the voice he had heard was a sound box the hunters had placed down. He'd fallen for their trick, and now he and his son were both in grave danger.

He picked his son up by the scruff of his neck and flung him onto his back, still sprinting away from the dozens of bullets that were being shot in their direction. He felt tears fall onto his back and realised his son must've been crying. His wounded shoulder burning with the exertion he was putting it through, Simba attempted to reassure his son, "Kopa, it'll be okay. We'll get out of this."

Kopa sniffed and wiped his tears before bursting into tears again as he caught site of the bloody gash on Simba's shoulder, "Dad. You're hurt!"

Simba was finding it increasingly difficult to keep running and he figured he probably shouldn't waste his breath on speaking. Knowing that this wouldn't help Kopa, he answered, "It's… just a graze, son," but it was more painful than that.

Both father and son faced forward with anticipation as Simba steeled himself and pushed himself even faster. More gun shots rang out through the atmosphere, one nipping Kopa's tail, causing him to fall off of his father's back screaming, "AAAAH!"

Simba jolted with shock, "Kopa? Are you hurt? Did they get you?" He didn't get a reply. He cursed out loud as he realised where he was. "Damnit. Of all the places we could end up…" It had to be the gorge edge.

The humans came into the lion king's view again all too quickly, and Simba glanced around skittishly for his son. Finding him a few metres away, with a gun so close to his face that it was almost touching him, Simba roared, "KOPA! GET AWAY FROM THAT STONE STICK! QUICKLY!" But Kopa was frozen to the spot.

"BANG!" That particular gunshot narrowly missed the father-son duo as Simba shoved Kopa out of the way at the last second, before rolling out of the bullet's path himself. He came face to face with another hunter, armed with a machine that Simba recognized. The man had a machine that looked like the stone sticks but rather than shooting stones, it shot arrows. Simba knew what arrows were. Apparently it was a shot from one of those machines that had killed his grandfather, the late king Ahadi.

Now it was just Simba, Kopa, half a dozen hunters, and a cliff edge. The two lions were shot at with an arrow, and it hit Simba in the shoulder that was already grazed, causing him to cry out.

Simba saw an opening just large enough for Kopa to squeeze through, but not himself. He called to his son, "Kopa, run through that opening!" Simba bore his teeth at the hunters as his son ran for the opening. Unfortunately two of the men saw the cub making a b-line for the way out, and dropped their guns before grabbing a net and chasing after him.

All Simba could do was pray that his son would escape okay and with no more injuries other than the one to his tail. Bending his head round, Simba pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with his teeth and dropped it onto the ground in front of him. Cornered by the remaining four hunters, Simba was shot at again, and knowing that his only other option was to jump into the gorge, he did just that. At least that way he would have a _chance _of survival. He fell several feet and landed with a thud before falling unconscious.

~TLK~

Nala was worried sick. She and her mother had noticed Kopa's absence only a few minutes ago, and she had a horrible feeling that he had gone after his father who had now been absent for several hours. Nala was terrified for both her mate and son, and as a result she had sent out a search party of eight lionesses, herself- being heavily pregnant- excluded. The queen wanted so badly to help search, but Rafiki had ordered her to stay put, and Nala knew from past experience that when Rafiki ordered you to do something, you did _not _disobey him.

~TLK~

Simba woke not long after his fall, to the sounds of panicked voices;

"We've found Simba!"

"Is he alive?"

"When do you think he'll wake up?"

"Where's Kopa?"

"We still haven't found Kopa!"

He groaned and tried to turn over before realizing with great shock that he was on a narrow ledge. Half hanging off. He tried to shift closer towards the cliff wall, but the movement rendered him breathless; he was suddenly in a lot of pain, and the only reason he didn't black out again was because a young pre-adult lioness called down to him, "King Simba, you have to stay awake and try to move. No offence, but we can't lift you up a cliff."

Had Simba had more energy, he would've laughed at this comment and told the young lioness that he didn't expect a member of his own pride to use his title, and that it wasn't necessary. He didn't though, and instead focused on the instructions he had to follow; _Stay awake- check. Climb back up…_

With help from the two lionesses who had stayed near where he was, Simba managed the small climb to the cliff top: he thankfully hadn't fallen too far. A lioness about Nala's age told the other lioness to fetch Rafiki, before addressing the king, "Simba…Do you know where Kopa is?"

Simba's eyes widened as he looked up at the lioness, "Isn't he…back at the cave?" The lioness shook her head, "No. We sent Zazu to check." It suddenly occurred to Simba that the hunters had disappeared, but so had his son.


	3. Trapped

Kopa didn't know what to do; he had been captured by the hunters and he had no way of escape. He was hungry, tired and at a complete loss. His tail stung from where it had been scraped by a bullet, and his eyes hurt from his constant crying since he was caught. He didn't even know where he was- he was in a cage in some sort of crate. It was hot and stuffy, and Kopa suddenly wished he was back in the cave of snakes that had once frightened him so much- that was nothing compared to how terrified he was right now.

Kopa's thoughts drifted to his father; had he gotten away from the hunters? He doubted it- he had been cornered when he told Kopa to run. Kopa forced himself to think of something happier, but he ended up thinking of someone else he would never see again- his best and only friend, Nuka. His mother, Zira had some issues, but Kopa was pretty sure that Nuka himself was nice. He wasn't sure about his temper though as he had never gotten on his bad side and didn't want to; after all, any cub raised by Zira was bound to have some level of fighting skills, and Kopa…Well he had to admit that he had none, _and that's why I'm trapped_, he thought bitterly, _I wasn't strong enough to get away from the hunters. _The cub lay down in the cage and slipped into deep thought before falling into a deep sleep.

~TLK~

Hours after the events of that afternoon, Nala sat at the peak of pride rock, sobbing quietly to herself. Her son was gone, and she had almost lost her mate, the love of her life, too. Through watery eyes, Nala looked out at the lands she helped rule over- the lands that would've one day been passed down to Kopa. Of course, she and Simba would still have someone to pass the lands down to- her bulging belly reminded her of that- but what if the new cub went missing? What if something like this happened again? Nala shook her head, trying to clear it of the tormenting thoughts that just wouldn't leave her alone. She knew she had to try and stay strong; she could send out search parties, and she would do it every day for as long as she lived if it meant that her son would come back to her. She had no doubt that Simba would do the same.

Nala heard footsteps behind, and turned around, blinking away her tears as best as she could in a hasty attempt to compose herself only to relax when she realized it was only Simba approaching her. He would never think her weak for crying. She smiled sadly at him before his limp and pained expression reminded her that he had been injured not that long ago, and her faint smile turned into a concerned frown, "You should be resting."

Simba shook his head, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "I'm hardly doing anything strenuous, am I now. But if it makes you any happier..." He sat down and smirked again, "There. _Now _I'm resting."

Nala rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you are _such _a boy…" but it felt good to have something to joke about.

The light atmosphere vanished almost as quickly as it arrived however when Simba said, "We should send out a search party soon."

Nala sighed and nodded, "You're probably right, but if we send one out I'll feel so bad that I'm not part of it."

Simba raised his eyebrows, "If that's your way of telling me you're joining the search, then it's not gonna happen. Rafiki says that you should give birth within a week- there's no _way _that you're traipsing around the possibly still dangerous Pridelands this close to the due date."

Nala frowned, "Okay, I get your point, but you're not helping look for our son either until I deem you healed enough to do so- it'll be the death of you given the state you're already in."

Simba pouted in mock-hurt, "What are you trying to say?"

Nala rolled her eyes at him for the second time that evening before sighing, "I'm not in the mood for joking around, Simba. I'm going to sleep." She stood up and padded back towards the den, leaving the king alone with his thoughts. He was more worried than he was letting on- he honestly shared the same emotions as his mate, but hadn't yet voiced his concerns, _I have to stay strong for her and our son. Worrying won't help anything…_

~TLK~

The following morning came around all too quickly for Kopa, and the young cub momentarily forgot where he was and what had happened to him, before it all came rushing back to him and he found himself having to force back tears. He moved as far towards the bars of his cage as he could, and peered through the handle-gap in the side of the crate he was in. _It's only just sunrise,_ he thought, _I have to find a way to escape. _How though? He was trapped in a metal cage and metal was _impossible _for a creature as small as him to break through or even bend, even though he was a lion cub. He was about to give up on trying to find a way out when he noticed that the cage he was stuck within had no base.

Kopa's eyes widened in realization- it wasn't a proper cage at all, rather something used for trapping animals _under _not _in_. And _that's _why he was being kept in a crate as well. This made things easier as Kopa's claws were plenty sharp enough for him to cut through wood. The only problem he had now was keeping his escape quiet enough so as to not arouse the hunters.

**A/N: Sorry it's been a little while since I last updated- I've been real busy recently. It might be a few weeks before I get chapter 4 up- I'm going on holiday on Friday for 2 weeks, and then I'll be busy again. I might possibly get chapter up before I go though. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review :) **


	4. Searching, Nuka and Escape

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! Like I said, I went on holiday and then just couldn't find any time to write. I'll try and make the next update quicker :) Thanks for reading! And please remember to review ^^**

Kopa set to work on his escape, first of all tracing an outline in the bottom of the crate with one of his nails. He made sure the outline was plenty large enough so that he would be able to make his escape successfully. Once he was satisfied with the outline he had traced in the actually quite thin wood, he began cutting along it, trying to keep as quiet as possible so as to not wake the hunters that were no doubt camping out somewhere nearby. He finished cutting through the wood, and pulled the piece out from underneath him, using his teeth. This proved to be more difficult than Kopa originally anticipated, and caused quite a sound. Once the wood had been moved, Kopa checked that he hadn't aroused the hunters, and satisfied he hadn't, he hooked some of his claws under each side of the crate, braced his thus far undeveloped muscles, and lifted.

~TLK~

Simba was up first that morning, and was thinking of joining that morning's search party, but as he stood he was hit by a strong torrent of pain, and he had to hiss through his teeth to keep from crying out and disturbing the sleeping pride. He lay back down again and waited for it to pass before making to stand up again, albeit much more carefully, when a gentle nudge to one of his front paws told him that Nala was awake. She looked up at him with a sleepy gaze, "You should stay resting." Simba had to stop himself from chuckling at how exhausted she sounded, and instead used it to his advantage, "Okay, I'll rest outside." Nala, being half asleep, accepted this quite happily before dozing off again, and once he was sure she wouldn't wake again anytime soon, the king crept towards the cave opening as close to silently as he could, before heading towards Rafiki's tree. Rafiki could talk to the spirits of the past kings, and Simba needed to know where his son was.

~TLK~

As the morning went on, another cub a couple of months older than Kopa sat forlornly by the watering hole, just waiting. Kopa hadn't turned up to play at all the day before, and although it was almost midday, still hadn't arrived in their usual meeting spot today either. Nuka began to pace, considering making the short trip to pride rock to see if he could gather any information on his only friend's whereabouts. Just as he was about to start walking however, he saw the king leaving Rafiki's tree, not that far off. Nuka took this as his opportunity to get the answers he wanted; despite what his mother, Zira, had told him plenty of times, Nuka failed to see how the king had ever done her wrong. He seemed nice to him, but then Nuka wasn't really that bright.

The cub took off at a sprint, hoping to catch the king up. It didn't prove to be as difficult as Nuka had originally anticipated- the king seemed to be in pain from something. As Nuka got nearer to Simba, he could tell that Simba had been in a fight or attack of some sort. Nuka just hoped his mother wasn't involved again; he hated it when the two prides fought with one another. Losing himself in his thoughts and failing to stop running on time, Nuka collided with one of Simba's legs, causing the large lion to look down in surprise.

"Nuka? What are you doing?"

Nuka found himself stammering, threatened by the tone or authority Simba's voice carried. "Um- I- I-"

Sensing the cub's discomfort, Simba smiled a little and reassured, "It's alright, Nuka, I won't hurt you."

This reassured the scruffy outlander enough for him to ask his question, "Um, King Simba, sir, where's prince Kopa?"

Simba's face darkened, "Kopa's not here, Nuka. You're going to have to find someone else to play with."

Nuka was confused, "What do you mean? We always meet up to play!"

Simba felt pity for Nuka right then; his mother didn't love him and his twin siblings were still too young to play- about two weeks old if Simba remembered right from his last encounter with Zira. He sighed and shook his head, "Something happened, Nuka, but I don't want you to tell your mother, or anybody else. Is that clear?"

Nuka nodded and answered, "Yes, sir…" before turning to go back to the outlands, his head hung low and his tail between his legs.

Simba didn't like seeing someone as young as Nuka sad like that. Thinking of a way to cheer the neglected young lion up, the king called his name. "Nuka?" Nuka spun around but didn't answer so Simba continued, "I'll let you know when we find Kopa, okay? But I meant what I said about not telling your mother." Nuka understood why.

~TLK~

Back somewhere far out in the forest, the hunters were enraged to see that Kopa had disappeared. A tall, well-built man inspected the crate for one last time before slowly turning to scowl at his team, his face almost red with rage, "Damn it! Which one of you imbeciles placed that cub in a _wooden_ crate!"

A scrawny young man began, "It was-"but was cut off as the head hunter screamed,

"SHUT UP!"

Another man, slightly older than the last and about twice the size got the leader's attention, "Um, Raymond, sir? Shouldn't we be looking for it? The cub I mean?"

Raymond sneered, "No. It's not worth it. There was another lion with the cub, wasn't there? It's large animals like that we want. Worth so much more to us. Let's move out!"

Meanwhile, Kopa was sprinting away as fast as his paws would carry him. Not long now and he'd be back with his family, safe and warm in the paws of his mother.


	5. Dreams and childbirth

**A/N: I know, I took forever to update again, but I have a fairly busy life, and I think I updated quicker than last time, so no complaints XD I hope you're still reading and enjoying this fic. **

Kopa ran through the forest until his still undeveloped muscles burned with exertion. His tail wound had long since stopped bleeding, and no longer hurt him unless he put significant pressure on it. For this the cub was thankful, but he was tired, and _so _hungry…It occurred to him that he hadn't eaten a thing for nearly two days. It panicked him slightly; no food would mean he wouldn't grow, and Kopa didn't want to stay cub-size when he was king!

Finally deciding he should stop and eat in order to keep growing, Kopa came to a halt near a watering hole. _Hmm…What is there to eat? Fish? Hm, maybe. Bugs? Bleurgh- Dad once lived off bugs…That must've been what made him slightly crazy…_ Kopa settled for fish and moved towards the body of water, hoping he'd find some sufficient food. Kopa bent forward and began searching through the water, grabbing blindly with his front paws. He got so into his 'hunting' that at one point he fell into the water. _Well, at least I don't need a bath any more._ But he was downhearted- his parents did this sort of thing so easily. Why couldn't he? Sighing, Kopa decided he'd try and get some sleep and resume fishing in the morning.

When Kopa woke, he could smell something odd- not like the forest at all. For a moment, he thought he was back at Pride rock, and that the events of the past couple of days were all some horrible dream, but looking around, Kopa knew he wasn't at Pride rock, or anywhere _near _it. He glanced around in worry but then he saw a face he recognized, "Rafiki?"

Rafiki nodded.

"Where are we?"

"Ah, just wait and see."

Kopa frowned, "Can I go home?"

Rafiki cackled, not unkindly, but still it unnerved Kopa all the same. "Of course not!"

Kopa gasped, "Why not?"

Rafiki smiled mysteriously, "Just wait and see, young Kopa. Wait and see." Then he faded into nothing and Kopa awoke.

Kopa opened his eyes blearily to find that he was still in the forest- still by the waterfall. And he was still hungry. But then Kopa smelt the smell again- the same one he had smelt during his dream. It was a pleasant scent, but it didn't smell like fish or flowers or anything else he might have found in his current surroundings. Kopa blinked to clear his sleepy vision, and his eyes snapped wide open in surprise when he saw what the smell was. Meat. Fresh meat. But no-one was around. It was strange- almost as if Rafiki _had _visited him that night, only he hadn't. _Oh well, _the young prince thought, _meat is meat,_ and he tucked in.

~TLK~

One week after Kopa had gone missing, and tensions were high back at Pride rock. Simba paced outside the den as his mate screamed through the agony of childbirth. Her pained roars weren't doing anything to help the king's nerves, and he continued to pace more ferociously as Timon and Pumbaa tried- and failed- to calm him down.

After a while, Nala's roars ceased and a few moments later, Sarabi came out to notify her son that his second child had been born. When she couldn't find him outside of the den she turned to his two best friends, "Hello Timon, Pumbaa. Any idea where my son went?"

Timon leapt on top of his large friend, "Yeah, Ms Sarabi, ma'am, we do. He went for a walk. Stress too much for 'im."

Sarabi shook her head, "Okay then, I'll-"

"Would you like _us _to find him for you?" Pumbaa interrupted.

Sarabi smiled a little and shook her head again, "No, it's fine. I know what's on his mind. I'll talk to him." With that, she trotted down the slope to Pride rock, leaving an oblivious Pumbaa and a confused Timon behind her.

"What _is _on our pal's mind?"

"I dunno."

~TLK~

Sarabi found that her son had resumed his pacing in front of the watering hole. She approached him from behind, "Simba."

He jumped a little, and Sarabi smiled in amusement, "Now, Simba, will you please relax for a minute and tell me what's on your mind? You should sit down anyway- you know what Rafiki said about that shoulder of yours," she motioned with her head to Simba's shoulder where his wound from the event with the hunters was healing, but was taking its time about it and was still partial to re-opening despite Rafiki's efforts.

Simba shook his head, but obeyed all the same- he'd learnt long ago that if anyone tried to argue against Sarabi, they would never win. He sighed and stared at the water in front of him, "I'm just concerned about Nala-"

"She's had the child, Simba, and she's perfectly fine. It's a girl, by the way."

This news seemed to brighten the king's mood considerably, but that faded as he continued what he was saying, "Well that's great but there's something else…I'm worried about the new cub; what if she gets captured like Kopa? Goes missing? It'd kill Nala- she'd fall apart- and I can't let that happen."

Sarabi shook her head, "Simba, listen to me. As a parent, these are risks you have to take. I did it with you, and Sarafina with Nala. Losing family isn't at all pleasant, son, but these experiences make us stronger and we can learn a great deal from them- you know that. I don't doubt your parenting skills, dear, and Nala is an excellent mother. Between you both you'll find a way to ensure that your daughter remains safe for as long as you're around. I just know it."

Simba finally met his mother's eyes, and found wisdom in them that he'd never seen before. It caused the respect he held for her to escalate greatly, and he smiled, his worries quelled momentarily. He stood up, Sarabi following, and he moved forward to nuzzle her, the former queen returning the grateful embrace. The king pulled away and grinned widely, "Thanks, Mum, what you said really meant a lot to me."

Sarabi nodded as she and her son turned to go back to pride rock, "And I meant every word of it. Now I want to see my new granddaughter properly- come on, Simba, you've got a daughter to meet."

Simba stopped walking, "Oh crap!"

Sarabi turned abruptly, "What?"

"Nala and I…We have like a thousand names we like!"

Sarabi laughed, "Well you'll have to decide pretty soon- your daughter can't have _that _many names. Similarly, she can't remain nameless for the whole of her life."

Simba smirked, "We could get her to pick her own name when she's older."

"Simba!"

"I'm joking, Mum, I'm joking." They both laughed.

**A/N: That's it for now! Not great, I know, but hopefully I'll find time to update quicker with chapter 6 to make up for it. Please review! Thanks :] **

**-Starz **


	6. The beaver

**A/N: Told you all I'd try to update quicker! Thanks to all reviewers- even anonymous reviewers to whom I can't reply to :P Hope this chapter's okay :) I'm trying to move time on a bit so I can lead up to "Motives" and then write a fic that takes place after that. So expect a jump in time at some point soon. Read on :D**

Meanwhile, in the forest Kopa tore at yet another large chunk of meat- Zebra by the look of it- in front of him. He really was hungry, and for the past week, somebody had been leaving him food every morning, so why turn it down?. About half way through he decided he'd save the rest for later before standing up, stretching and drinking in his surroundings. The forest was dark even in the day time and Kopa found it a little daunting, a strange feeling rising inside him as he wandered through the trees, having hidden his meat behind a bush near the waterfall in hope that it would still be there when he got back. The further he walked, the stronger the feeling in his stomach became and he suddenly realised with relief that it was not fear at all, _Aw, man! I need to pee! _Kopa searched around for a reasonable place to go, and in the end he settled for a bush. A few minutes later he was back exploring the forest, when he ran into something odd.

The strange object looked like a tree, _a very weird tree- _ Kopa made a note to himself to study trees more often in the future- only it was twisted into some sort of bizarre display. The unnerving feeling Kopa had felt moments earlier returned, only this time he knew that it was not to do with his body's needs- it was the feeling of fear, and the cub quickly became frantic, _I should stop walking. This part of the forest might be dangerous…It _all _might be dangerous and I'm trapped. Oh no! I'm trapped! Again! I don't know my way out! _

Despite his mind's valiant efforts to get him to turn back, Kopa continued to advance further into the forest, through all the oddly shaped trees. It occurred to him that they hadn't just ended up like that; something must've done it to them- scratched them up with some sort of immense force. Kopa blanched, _Oh I'm in trouble, _and jumped up to a height almost three times greater than his own when a sharp voice sounded out, "Ay up there, cub. What's bought you to the forest?"

Kopa squealed- he'd never seen an animal like this one before, but when it didn't advance and simply chuckled, he relaxed slightly and mustered the courage to ask the question at the very front of his mind, "Um, what are you?"

The creature laughed again, a sharp but not menacing cackling sound, and replied, "A bit rude, ain't ya? You never seen a beaver before? You need to get out more, kid."

Kopa laughed nervously, "A beaver? Okay…I'll pretend I know what that is for a bit…I have more questions; "Do you keep putting that meat down for me?"

"Yep. Not a pleasant job, feeding a carnivore, but I had a feeling you'd come to these parts of the woods and I wouldn't wantcha getting an appetite on you now, would I?"

Kopa grimaced, "Um I don't eat beaver…Um, how many of you are there here?"

"Just me."

"Did you destroy the trees?"

"It's not destruction, it's art."

"Do you know the way out?"

"Nah. I grew up 'ere."

"And you've never left?"

"Nope. Now seriously, cub, cut the interrogation, and just tell me why you're here."

Kopa shifted nervously, and a look of great sadness settled on his features. The beaver felt bad for him, so he softened his tone a little as he ventured, "Are you lost?"

Kopa sighed, "Not exactly…Well I am but…I was escaping, so…"

The beaver bit his lip, "Escaping? From what?"

Kopa shook his head, "These weird, horrible creatures...My Dad calls them hunters…" Kopa looked down to see how the beaver reacted to this, but there was no readable expression on his face, just a thoughtful look, as if he was planning what to say next.

"Ah, right. Well, I'm sorry 'bout that uhhh…What's ya name?"

"Kopa…"

"I'm Ned. Pleased to meetcha, Kopa. You said you were chased by hunters?"

"Well not exactly. I mean I _was _but they caught be, and that's what I was escaping from. I was with my Dad and-"

"They didn't kill him?"

Kopa's eyes widened with shock, "NO! Do-don't say that! I mean, I dunno but…I hope not…I don't wanna- wanna talk about it…"

Ned sighed in sympathy and approached Kopa, who was looking down forlornly at his paws, "Look, kid, I'm sure your Dad's okay. Where's your pride?"

Kopa sniffed and looked up, "Pride rock. My parents will be really worried about me…"

At the words "Pride rock", Ned's eyes widened in surprise "You know King Simba?"

Kopa nodded, once again looking upset, "He's my Dad, but the hunters hurt him and I don't know whether he's okay or not. It's been a week!"

Ned shook his head, "Well then we'll have to get you back there! Come on, Kopa, we're gonna getcha back to your family."

**A/N: Sorry it's short, but I wanted to post something quicker :) Next one will be longer, hopefully :) **


	7. Complications

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) One reviewer told me not to stop writing. Well don't worry coz I'm not gonna stop before it's finished XD I'm just busy so it takes a while for me to update :) Enjoy!**

Kopa and Ned headed towards Pride rock, and after a day of travelling, they could finally see the giant structure in the near distance. Ned grinned at Kopa before noticing the cub had stopped walking. Ned's grin faded into a frown, "Hey, cub, why the long face and the lack of movin'?"

Kopa shook his head and replied, "I'm scared they'll hate me. My parents, I mean. I'm worried my Dad's still really hurt…And I'm worried that no-one will wanna be around me anymore. I've been gone for over a week! What if they don't care about me anymore- maybe that's why they didn't come and find me. I just don't know, Mr Ned…"

Ned looked up sympathetically at the golden lion cub and exhaled through his teeth, "Geez, cub, that's a lotta worrying you've been up to. I'm sure your parents have missed ya loads, kiddo. When I was in your situation, I wanted naught more than to go to back to me family."

This caused Kopa to look up, "_When_ you were in my situation? Don't you mean _if?_" His expression was almost hopeful- maybe Ned understood him better than he thought.

Ned chuckled, "Yeah Kopa, _when._ Beavers aren't often found around these parts y'know. In fact that's probably why you didn't know what I was to start with. I was captured by people, too, only they wanted me for some sorta experiment rather than a throw-rug. I'm not sure which is worse a fate to be honest with ya. So anyways, I got away, but was so intent on just escaping that I didn't realise I was half way 'round the world. So yeah, I set up in the forest, and now I can't remember much of anything different."

Kopa was astonished, "Wow…Well, um, would you like to come to pride rock? With me? I mean, you've looked after me for a whole week. Without the food you kept leaving me I'd be-" Kopa shuddered, "Eh, you know what I mean…"

Ned seemed to consider the offer for all of a split second, but soon decided that he couldn't. He shook his head, "Nah. Thanks for the offer, cub, but I like the forest too much. Besides, I wouldn't wanna be eaten up by lionesses now, would I?" He said the last part with a slight chuckle, as if the idea of living with lions was ridiculous, and Kopa briefly thought about telling his friend about Simba's relationship with Timon and Pumba, but decided against it- he just wanted to go home.

Ned cleared his throat, "Well then, kiddo, it was nice knowin' ya, but I think you have a family to return to. I might see ya around."

Kopa smiled, "Yeah…Thanks for helping me out. Bye!"

"See ya, kid."

~TLK~

(One day earlier)

Simba stood at the peak of Pride rock. He had a terrible feeling about something. He couldn't quite place it, but he sensed that his pride were in danger. Be it the hunters or the fact that Zira had walked out on the pride just a day previously, following a disagreement on whose cub would be the next king. She had vowed to 'get her revenge', only to return later that day and apologise, claiming that her actions had been out of order. But there had been something about her gaze…

All Simba could do was hope that it was his paranoia playing with his mind. He, after all, hadn't slept for longer than a couple of hours each night since Kopa's disappearance. Anyone would be weary in this situation, but with the healing of his wounds from the hunter incident, the king felt utterly drained- his disturbed thoughts could've easily been a result of this. And so he pushed them aside. Boy, was he mistaken.

Simba's thoughts had been proven correct during that night when a strange noise awoke him. He shot up, his eyes glazed with shock and Nala had nuzzled his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down which she had succeeded in until the king heard the noise again. This time however, so did Nala and evidently, Kiara, as the former had gasped and the latter had burst into tears. The racket had disturbed the rest of the pride, and within ten minutes, pride rock was a blood bath.

~TLK~

Kopa sprinted at full pelt towards his home, only to find it empty of any life. He was merely puzzled to being with, but stopped abruptly as he stepped in a deep-red coloured liquid. Eyes, wide and body rigid, Kopa risked a glance at the ground. He snapped his eyes shut at what he saw- Sarabi, Kopa's _Grandmother, _was laying there, dead. The cub only had to think for a second to realise that he had just trodden in her blood. Looking franticly around the cave, eyes darting all over the ground, Kopa made out the silhouettes of several other bodies. He shook his head. It couldn't be true! But it was. Kopa cried.

~TLK~

Simba's pride trudged along at a slow, dreary pace. Simba had long fallen back from the front of the pride, and many of the weaker pride members were close to collapsing. Some had already collapsed and were having to be carried by the few that were in a fit enough state for the job. Nala was one of these- she had gotten out of the cave with Kiara fairly quickly, under instruction from her mate to run and hide until the attack had subsided.

Deciding that she couldn't lead the pride on any longer, Nala bought them all to a clearing on the opposite side of a river to pride rock. Simba did a quick head count and ensured that all those who had been injured were okay for the time being. Nala watched from where she was laying as her mate slowly limped between the sprawled forms of the lionesses. After circulating the pride at least half a dozen times, he began to make his way over to the queen, and only just made it to her side before falling into a deep sleep.

Nala didn't sleep that night. She sighed to herself as she watched her husband's sides rise and fall rhythmically. She cradled her tiny daughter in her arms and thanked the lords that her princess had not been hurt in any way. Twenty-four hours ago, no-one would've believed her if she said that Zira had been the one to lead the attack, and that half of the pride had turned against the king and queen just like that. It was a different story now, however, and they were no longer safe in their own home; Nala knew that Zira had taken pride rock for her own, and she also knew that it would be a while until the remains of the pride would be recovered enough to fight back.

The queen's thoughts drifted to Kopa. _Kopa._ Simba and Nala's little prince. How Nala missed her son. The reason for his disappearance was a constant reminder to her that Zira wasn't the only danger out there in the pride lands. Nala licked her daughter affectionately on the head, holding her close- she wouldn't let Kiara get hurt or lost, and she knew that Simba felt even more strongly about this than she did. She made up her mind that as soon as the pride were back on their feet, they would take Pride rock back from Zira and ensure she would never bother them again.

That of course, was easier said than done, and there would still be the predominant threat of the hunters hanging over their heads. The hunters…Unbeknownst to the queen, the said hunters were a lot closer to the pride than merely being 'in the pridelands', and she never would have guessed that one was stood just 100 yards away with his gun pointed at Kiara…

**A/N; Haha! A cliff hanger! I'm sorry if this isn't written very well. It felt horrible typing it, but I needed to get something up XD Please leave a review ^^**


	8. Escape and Zira

**A/N: So I thought I'd best get a chapter up before Christmas. Sorry it took a month to update :/ TOO BUSY! But I promise you, I will NOT abandon this fic =D Promiseeee!**

"BANG!"

The tremendous sound of a gunshot startled Nala from her reverie, and she gasped, both terrified and shocked, as she looked down to see a stone-like object half buried in the ground. Right in front of her, and only centimetres away from Kiara. Fully alert, Nala was ready for the next shot when it came, and managed to get herself and her daughter out of the way just in time. Now most of the pride were awake and Nala barked orders, "WE NEED TO MOVE! NOW!"

She nudged her husband to wake him, but when he didn't move, she panicked, "SIMBA! WAKE UP! THE HUNTERS ARE HERE!"

That got him up. He blinked rapidly as he woke before shooting up, adrenaline suddenly pumping itself around his body. "Oh great kings! Quick! Gather whoever's already up and GO! I'll wake everyone else and catch up."

Nala hesitated as her mate ran off. He was going to kill himself someday… She shook her head realising she didn't have time to resist his instructions, before rounding up the remaining members of her broken pride. "Everyone follow me! We've been found!" Another gun shot. And then bullet after bullet and even the occasional arrow rained upon the pride. Two lionesses fell, and Nala passed Kiara to Sarafina before helping up the newest victim. She was alive, thankfully, but was badly wounded. Nala steeled herself and instructed, "Kula, get up on my back!" She lowered herself to the ground and Kula groaned and she lifted her battered body onto the back of her queen.

Kula had sustained great injuries from the battle at pride rock just a few hours ago. Now she'd been hit in back with a smoking stone, and Nala was seriously worried she wouldn't make it through the evacuation of the clearing.

The queen stole a glance back to her husband. He was struggling, she could tell, but didn't seem unable to go on. _Well that's a relief_, she sighed. He had also managed to get most of the other lions up, and those who were too exhausted to run were once again being carried. Before she knew it, the whole remaining pride was on the run. Simba's group soon caught up to hers and they sprinted as fast as they could in their exhausted states. All the while the hunters were behind them- five more lions fell, but the people eventually gave up and the pride slowed their pace a little once they were sure they were safe enough to do so for the time being.

It was Sarafina who eventually took charge, "Come on, I remember these parts from before I came to Pride lands- there's a well concealed cave not too far away from here. We should head there."

Simba nodded, "Lead the way."

~TLK~

Kopa waited. He waited for hours at pride rock, in hope that his pride and family would return. He'd given up waiting_ inside _the den- he couldn't bare to set eyes upon the bodies of several of his pride members for any longer, and he simply wasn't strong enough to move them.

"I trust that no-one's been spared?" A sinister voice broke Kopa out of his reverie and he had to supress a gasp as the slender figure of a lioness came into his line of vision. He ducked further into the shadows as Zira prowled amongst the bodies that littered the cave floor.

Another voice spoke, "More than half got outta the cave, but many were injured. They won't make it far."

Zira snarled, "I don't see the _king's _body anywhere." She spun around and spat in the other lioness' face, "You _FAILED _me! You will suffer!"

"B-but wait! He won't have gone far! W-we pretty much rendered him unable to move! He had to be helped up off of the ground! His queen was half carrying him!"

Zira growled, "You lie!"

"N-no! Well…Maybe bend the truth a little but-"

"WHAT?"

The lioness cowered "Okay, okay! He was injured, yeah but-"

"But WHAT?"

"Well he's strong and-"

"ENOUGH!" Zira pinned the terrified lioness to the ground and bore her teeth at her, anger flashing in her eyes.

The lioness gulped, "Please, let me finish."

Zira raised her claws...

**A/N: So it was quite short- I think the shortest yet, but I wanted to get up before Christmas =) Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year! **


	9. All leading to this

Kopa backed further into the corner in which he was stood, and shielded his eyes as he waited for Zira to finished the lioness who had apparently 'failed her'. But he heard no sound, and when he opened his eyes just a crack, he almost jumped out of his skin at what he saw.

Zira's face was inches from him. He began to hyperventilate as she snarled, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Simba's little _runt _himself…And may I ask, WHY ARE YOU IN MY CAVE!"

Kopa stuttered and began to back up only to find he couldn't go any further, "I-I-I got lost! I came back here to find the cave empty and my Grandma on the f-floor…" He began to cry and in a tiny almost-whisper asked, "Why did you k-kill Grandma 'Bi?"

Zira sneered at the young cub, but then the terrified look upon his face hit home.

_FLASHBACK_

_A 10 month old Zira ran through the marshy ground of the forest, laughing with glee. Her and her mother had gone on a rare hunting trip to the forest. It was the first time Zira had left the Pridelands. _

_Her mother had decided that as Zira was reaching the end of her cub-hood, it would be beneficial for her to witness some hunts in action. Zira had killed a bird. Not a small one either. She was proud of her first accomplishment as a young huntress and was running to find her mother so she could show her what she'd done._

_What Zira saw next however never left her mind. Her mother lay dead on the ground. And not just dead- it was a gruesome sight; her fur was barely visible under the blood, her body all torn up and her limbs at seemingly impossible angles. Flies were already gathering around the corpse, and the young lioness was unable to look for any longer._

_Zira ran._

_Right into her mother's killer._

_END FLASHBACK_

Zira was never the same after that. The huge lion that had killed her mother had bent over Zira's quivering form and had snarled, _"Yes, she dead. It's a corpse you stupid cub. DON'T CRY! Death is a part of life…"_

"_P-please"_

"_YOU'RE NEXT!"_

"_NO!"_ Zira had run then. For how long, she had no clue. She had just run. At one point she had had a nasty encounter with some other predator and as a result had lost part of her ear and gained scars on her face, but she had outrun her mother's killer at least.

Zira shook herself out of her reverie and reverted her gaze to Kopa once again, "because death is…a part of life…" She suddenly felt pathetic. Wretched. She shook her head, "Just run, Kopa. Either run away and never come back, or run and bring your _Daddy _to me…"

"Why…?"

"JUST DO IT! And trust me; I _will _know what you've chosen to do."

Kopa sighed and slowly, cautiously stepped out of his corner. He got to the entrance of the cave and muttered a quiet "Why didn't you come and find me, Daddy…?"

Then he ran.

~TLK~

4 YEARS LATER

A dark furred lion sat on a rock at the edge of the Outlands.

_So Kiara's had her cubs…Hmm…I wonder how _Daddy _is? _Kopa cackled to himself. _He will RUE the day he left me. You don't leave a young cub lost…Who knows what _monsters _they could become!_

And maniac laughter filled the air as Kopa thought about the irony of it all.

~TLK~

Simba's head shot up, his eyes wide with a wild look in them. Panting heavily he struggled to regain control of his breathing until he felt something warm nuzzle his neck.

"Simba? Please, this is the third night in a row…What's wrong?" Nala's sleepy voice was comforting to the king, but he knew it couldn't last.

"Kopa's back." His whisper was frantic, half out of fright and half in an attempt to avoid waking up anyone else.

Nala's eyes widened and she answered, her voice equally quiet, "No, it can't be…Simba it was just a _dream_. Kopa's _gone,_ and he might not even be alive, Simba. I-"

"No Nala, you don't understand. Kopa's back and he's _out for blood_. He thinks we abandoned him when he was a cub…He thinks it's my fault…Well I guess it _was-"_

"Simba, don't start. You know full-well that you couldn't have helped anything that happened. He was captured and you weren't fit to go after him until over a week later. We sent search parties out for months, Simba. We joined them ourselves. If Kopa's disappearance was anyone's fault, it's the hunters we should blame."

Simba sighed, "I don't think that's it, Nala…I think there's more to it…"

"What do you mean?"

"I think someone _sent Kopa away._ And I think I have an idea who."

"Who?"

"I think you know, too."

Nala thought for a moment before it clicked, "You don't mean-"

"Yes."

"Ohhh…I hate that bitch."

Simba smiled a little with amusement, "She's dead, Nal'."

"I can still hate her."

~TLK~

A couple of months later, Kovu and Kiara were sat by the watering hole, their young cubs rolling around happily just a few metres from where their parents lay enjoying the sun. Kiara smiled as the sun warmed her fur, letting out a purr of content.

Kovu broke the comfortable silence, "To think, before the week's up, we'll be the new rulers of the Pridelands."

Kiara smiled, "Yeah… as soon as I turn four…"

Kovu frowned, "I don't see why your parents don't just step down now. It's not like you have to be four years old to rule. I swear Simba and Nala were like two…"

"Three."

"Right, three…Still…"

"I think it's because my father thinks something really bad is going to happen, and he doesn't want us to have to bare the weight of it." Kiara's tone was one of slight worry, and Kovu could tell straight away that she had her concerns about the whole thing.

"Kiara, what's on your mind?"

Kiara sighed, "I think my parents are hiding- no, not hiding something- they just haven't cared to tell me something…And I think it may be important…It's gotta be something bad, or they would've told me already…"

Just then, a vicious roar of fury cut through the short-lived silence. Kiara shot up, "Father."

~TLK~

"Simba, you can't do this. It's dangerous!" Nala's whispers were frantic as Simba shook his head sadly, "Nala, he just threatened our family. He's _not _laying a paw on any of the pride if I have anything to do with it."

Nala shook her head, and close to tears moved away from her mate and turned to confront the lion who had returned rather ceremoniously just minutes ago, "Kopa, you've got to understand! We searched for months! We didn't stop searching until almost half a year after the hunter incident. We searched the Pridelands, the Outlands, even the _forest!_ Where _were _you?"

Kopa growled, "I was told to run! And to never come back! Like someone _else _I know…"

Whereas before Simba's expression and stance had both been protective, even savage, his demeanour had now completely altered. He spoke gently, "By who, son?"

Kopa glowered at him "What's it to do with you? And I am _NOT _your _son_."

Simba sighed and calmly retorted, "It's everything to do with me. And you are my son. Whether you like it- or even _see _it- or not."

Kopa growled lowly, "Enough of the trivia, _Father_, we've got a fight to have. When you lose, I'll take Pride rock, and trust me, I will make _every one of you_ suffer under my rule.

Simba readied himself before he replied evenly, "Never going to happen."

**A/N: That's it! The end of this fic! Now I have a couple of things I'd like you to help me out with. Firstly, I need a new title for this story, so does anyone have any ideas coz I'm completely out of them. And secondly, what shall I write next; a **_**sequel **_**to "Motives" like I said I would, or a fic set **_**during "**_**Motives"? Or shall I just leave all the events mentioned in "Motives" to your imaginations? Please leave your opinions in your review. Thanks ^^**


End file.
